ATLANTA — Coming back from “COVID Crazy”:
Crowds—big crowds—are putting the pandemic in the rear-view mirror and returning to restaurants everywhere, for dining in.
That’s putting a strain on an industry that’s thrilled for the business again, but still way behind finding enough workers to serve the crowds quickly.
Friday night, Restaurant Row on Canton Street in Roswell was “good” crazy.
“Crowds are definitely coming back at crazy volumes,” said Haley Alexander of Canton Street Social restaurant and bar.
“We’re seeing 2019 numbers, we’re eclipsing 2019,” said Shane Clements of Zest Restaurant.
And customers are often realizing that, at peak times such as Friday night, service can be, for now, slower than it was pre-pandemic, and they’re having to wait and wait for their tables - and for their food, once they get tables.
“We definitely feel moments of stress at times where we definitely feel the lack of hands, as we call it in the restaurant industry,” but most customers, Alexander said, are understanding, and in high spirits just being out again.
Alexander, along with bartender Jeremy Hathcoat at Canton Street Social, are, along with everyone else, doing the work of several servers at once.
According to the Georgia Restaurant Association, the industry has a 15 percent shortage of servers.
So bartenders wait tables, servers pour drinks, and Hathcoat also pulls rabbits out of hats, so to speak, while guests are waiting.
“I do magic sometimes,” Hathcoat said, “and, you know, if there’s a kid or something at the table, I show ‘em a little card trick, and the parents like it, and sometimes they forget, ‘Oh, my food is taking just a little bit longer, but it’s OK because I’m still being entertained, I’m still enjoying myself here.’”
When Shane Clements, of Zest, sees some customers getting impatient, he speaks with them, listens to them, and he said that, usually, they appreciate how hard the smaller staff is working for them and the other guests.
“Our team--right now they work a lot of doubles, a lot of ‘em are working 50, almost 60 hours a week,” Clements said, “and with that, you know, we need to be patient. Enjoy the experience, and just give some time, we’ll get ‘em taken care of.”
“Personally, I’m doing great,” said Zest server Julie Sommer.
Sommer has to scramble table to table to keep up with mostly, she said, understanding guests.
“I come here to make money, so, you know, we’ve been busy and I like that. I feel like we definitely need a little bit more help.”
How are the tips?
She smiled behind her mask, with a thumbs up and a laugh.
“I can’t complain. I drive 40 minutes to get here for work, so I think that says a lot.”
“I just hope that they realize what an impact COVID had on the whole entire service and restaurant industry,” Hathcoat said, “and just know that we are really trying our best to give 110 percent for our guests. And things, hopefully, will get back to normal as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, we’ll show you our appreciation for having you in here, and having you back,” Alexander said.
And everyone, they hope, will be able to keep up with Friday night Crazy once again.